The Glenmorgan Branch is a railway line in south west

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It opened in a series of sections between 1908 and 1931. It was intended to reach

Surat Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is now ...

but construction ceased during the 1930s depression and never recommenced.

History

After the Western Line from

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

opened beyond Dalby in the 1870s and the South Western Line passed beyond

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

in the early 1900s, there was agitation for a service west from Dalby towards Tara. An 84 kilometre extension between the two towns was approved by parliament in April 1908. There was some delay in construction as completion of the Haden and Cooyar branch lines was given priority. The first section of the line opened as far as Kumbarilla on 8 September 1911 including stops at: * Dalby () *Natcha (approx ) serving the Dalby Butter Factory *Yumborra () added in 1956 *

Nandi Nandi may refer to: People * Nandy (surname), Indian surname * Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe * Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi * Nandi Bushell (born 2010), South Afri ...

() * Kupunn () * Duleen () * Ducklo () * Gulera () * Kumbarilla () On 4 October 1911, the line opened to Tara, including stops at: * Weranga () * Bungybah () * Goranba () * Perthton () * Tara () A mixed train left Dalby three days a week at noon for the 4¼ hour journey to Tara leaving again the next morning at 11.30am for the return trip.

Slow progress west

An 80-kilometre extension to Surat was approved by parliament in December 1914 to service dairy and sheep farms en route. The line never reached Surat but four short stages opened progressively as far as

Glenmorgan Glenmorgan is a rural town in the Western Downs Region and a locality split between the Western Downs Region and the Maranoa Region, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Glenmorgan had a population of 148 people. Geography The Town i ...

over the ensuing 17 years. Construction began but was suspended between 1916 and 1923. On 24 August 1925, the line was extended to The Gums with stops at: * Tullagrie () * South Glen () * Cabawin () * The Gums () Two of the three weekly trains travelled the extra distance. Two short stages were opened to: *

Hannaford Hannaford may refer to: People * Alf Hannaford (1890–1969), South Australian inventor and industrialist * Ann Hannaford Lamar (born 1952), American jurist * Charlie Hannaford (footballer) (1896–1970), English footballer * Clive Hannaford (19 ...

() on 28 June 1926 *

Meandarra Meandarra is a rural town and locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Meandarra had a population of 262 people. Geography The town is located on Brigalow Creek, west of the state capital, Brisban ...

() on 2 July 1927 From 1928, a rail motor service ran twice a week to Tara and later to Meandarra. Another short extension took the line a further 22 kilometres with stops at: * an unnamed stop () *

() opened on 12 December 1931. The terminus was renamed ''Glenmorgan'' in honour of

Godfrey Morgan ''Godfrey Morgan: A Californian Mystery'' (french: L'École des Robinsons, literally ''The School for Robinsons''), also published as ''School for Crusoes'', is an 1882 adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. The novel tells of a wealthy y ...

the Railways Minister between 1929 and 1932. Streets in the town were named after his family and he was also honoured with the naming of Morganville a railway terminus south-west of

Bundaberg Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's regional area has a population of 70,921, and is a major centre of the Wide Bay–Burnett geographical region. The Bun ...

. A twice-weekly goods train and a similar rail motor service operated between Dalby and Glenmorgan. Grain gradually accounted for much of the traffic and special grain services became commonplace. Road transport took over transport of general goods to the point where only seasonal grain traffic remains and then only as far as Meandarra. The line beyond Meandarra was closed to block trains on 26 June 2013 and remains "booked out of use" as of 2022.

Contemporary line standards

The maximum grade is 1 in 44 (~2.3%) and the minimum curve is 400m radius. The line currently is laid with 41 & 30 kg/m rail, 25% steel sleepers and a 15.75 tonne axle load, except for west of Meandarra, which was 21 kg/m with a 10 tonne axle load. The line speed is 60 km/h to Tara, 40 km/h to Meandarra and was 30 km/h to Glenmorgan.

References

External links

1925 map of the Queensland railway system

History

Slow progress west

Contemporary line standards

References

External links

See also